UW-Whitewater ousted by Mary Hardin-Baylor in Division III football semifinals
BELTON, Texas - Considering where No. 4 UW-Whitewater stood midway through the 2017 season, the Warhawks had plenty to be happy about before making a run at their 10th Stagg Bowl appearance.
Instead, it will be No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor making its third straight trip to the Stagg Bowl after stuffing the Warhawks, 31-14, Saturday afternoon at Crusader Stadium. Unbeaten UMHB will stay in Texas to meet Mount Union for the championship Friday in Shenandoah.
Despite the loss, the Warhawks, with six NCAA Division III national championships and three runner-up finishes in their history, have put themselves back in the national spotlight.
“In 2017 we were 1-3, then we won six straight conference games in a tough conference,” said fourth-year Warhawks head coach Kevin Bullis, whose team finished 13-1. “That’s what’s driven us to this point. We are back on the scene and that’s what’s exciting to me.”
It was UMHB’s first victory over Whitewater in six meetings. The Warhawks couldn’t achieve consistency on the Crusaders’ home field.
“They are a fantastic football team all the way around,” Bullis said. “The score and the turnover ratio usually go hand in hand and they beat us at both.”
Indeed, the Warhawks turned the ball over four times to mar potentially successful drives.
Down 17-0 halftime, the Warhawks did get themselves back in the game by taking their first possession of the second half 66 yards in eight plays. Cole Wilber hit tight end Bryce Bellefeuille with a 2-yard touchdown pass to narrow the gap to 17-7.
The Warhawks quickly got back into scoring position after Bryce Leszczynski intercepted a pass and took it back 64 yards to the UMHB 14. Whitewater settled for a 24-yard field-goal attempt, but Wojciech Gasienica’s try glanced off the left upright.
The teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter. UMHB’s Markeith Miller banged in from the 10 to make it 24-7, but the Warhawks answered by going 75 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 1-yard plunge by Ronny Ponick to make it a 10-point game again.
UMHB added another touchdown, a 15-yarder for Miller, who led all rushers with 171 yards on 33 carries, to account for the final margin.
The Warhawks managed just three first-half first downs and the Crusaders scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, including a 4-yard touchdown run by DeNerian Thomas and a 90-yard kickoff return by Aaron Sims.
“From our perspective we were just an inch away from executing (in the first half),” Bullis said. “We didn’t go into halftime and make 20 adjustments. We just tried to execute better.”
Ponick and Alex Peete combined for 135 yards rushing for the Warhawks. Wilber completed 13 of 18 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown but had two passes picked off.
“The run sets up the pass and the pass sets up the run,” Wilber said. “You just have to tip your hat to (UMHB’s) defense. We just needed to execute a little better.”